All competitions · Prize / award
Portrait Society of America – 2027 International Portrait Competition
Portrait Society of America · Washington, DC, United States
Annual international competition for portrait and figurative painting, drawing and sculpture with a $50,000 grand prize and over $210,000 in cash and prizes; finalists judged at The Art of the Portrait conference, Washington DC, May 2027.
Your eligibility
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Who can enter
- Location
- Open worldwide
- Age
- No age limit
- Career stage
- Any
- Mediums
- Painting, Drawing, Sculpture
- Theme
- portraiture, figurative art
- Attendance
- Must attend in person
- Entries
- Up to 3 works per artist
- Size limits
- 2D work max 60 inches on longest side unframed; sculpture under 34 inches and no more than 50 pounds.
- Submission
- Online submission
- Also
- Open to all artists including faculty; Portrait Society Executive Board members, Gold Medal recipients and previous Grand Prize winners are excluded. Finalists must attend the conference.
About
The Portrait Society of America's International Portrait Competition is an annual open competition for painting, drawing and sculpture. Entries for the 2027 edition opened 30 September 2026 and the file-upload deadline is 17 February 2027; finalists are notified 17 March 2027 and must exhibit their original work and attend The Art of the Portrait conference in Washington, DC, 6-9 May 2027, where final judging takes place.
The entry fee is $75 for up to three submissions, reduced to $55 for entries made by 31 December 2026. The competition is open to all artists, including faculty, except Executive Board members, Gold Medal recipients and previous Grand Prize winners. Two-dimensional works may not exceed 60 inches on the longest side (unframed); sculpture must be under 34 inches and 50 pounds.
Awards total over $210,000 in cash and prizes: a $50,000 Grand Prize, $5,000 first-place awards per category, six placement awards of $2,500, ten merit awards of $2,000, and a $1,000 shipping stipend for all finalists.